(From left) Chong, Patron of World Gourmet Puan Sri Dr Susan Cheah and Syed Yahya at the event launch at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. – Photos by GLENN GUAN/The Star
THE World Gourmet Top Awards 2022 is back for its fourth annual award show with support from Tourism Malaysia.
It seeks to honour restaurants, eateries and businesses for their roles in boosting the tourism industry.
Green with his International Celebrity Chef Award 2022 trophy and medal for Eating-For-Health category.
In an effort to put Malaysia on the food map, the awards, organised by World Gourmet, aim to provide local food and beverage (F&B) vendors with a platform to showcase themselves through different cuisines, services and dining experiences.
At the event launch held at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, World Gourmet president Peggy Chong said they were aiming to present 80 awards to restaurants and chefs this Oct 27.
This includes 60 awards for restaurants and 20 for chefs and individuals.
“Our mission is to recognise the diversity in our F&B and hospitality industries while showing appreciation to those who have made significant efforts in these areas.”
She also stated that the evaluation criteria were based on public reviews, ambience, menu selection, value or price structure and service and dining experience.
Tourism Malaysia Strategic Planning senior director Syed Yahya Syed Othman, who was present at the event, said he hoped that the awards would boost local travel since the Covid-19 pandemic had greatly affected the sector.
“We hope that through this event, we can revive the country’s economy through domestic tourism, and by promoting the country as one of the top holiday destinations,” he said.
The World Gourmet Top Awards was established in April 2017. However, no awards were presented in the past two years due to the pandemic.
Gracing the launch was celebrity chef Daniel Green, who was awarded the International Celebrity Chef Award 2022 in the Eating for Health category.
Green, who was a judge on Kitchen Inferno, has also authored 10 books.
“It’s such a wonderful privilege to have an achievement like this in a country like Malaysia,” said Green, who is currently based in the United States.
The event ended with a musical performance by violinist Jessica Loo and a demonstrative plating by chef James Ho, who showcased his nasi lemak, nasi biryani and Hainanese chicken rice – as sushi!
